Why Do We Run?

Whether you have taken up running just to lose weight, to further improve fitness, to relieve stress, to compete in races, or just simply to kill time, you'll find the benefits are many.

Undoubtedly, you want “the simplest ways" to operate, and we can point you within the right direction. Have in mind, though, that there are few universal truths to running. Everything depends on the individual, and techniques that some runners swear by may not be best for you.Experiment and find what exactly makes you comfortable. There is no algorithm or formula to running: the one hard and fast rule to running would be the fact that you simply keep putting one foot ahead of the other.

Advantages and benefits of Running

Why did you start running? Often your answer includes feeling better--physically, mentally, emotionally. Running is among the best aerobic exercises for physical conditioning of your heart and lungs. Research has shown the health rewards to be huge, reducing the probability of getting the common to cancer. Your stamina will increase. You will burn calories and lose weight.

Running, like many other styles of exercise, is a great cure for stress, emotional strain, even mild depression. You'll likely find yourself with fewer headaches and much more energy, patience, and even more humor. Studies have shown that healthy adults who exercise regularly are generally happier than people that don't.

And running, quite simply, is convenient. You don't need any elaborate gear, only a pair of shoes. There isn’t a special playing field or apparatus. You don't have to juggle the schedules of others in order to find time to run.

Rewards of your Spirit

You've more than likely started running for the physical benefits, however you will quickly discover other, more metaphysical rewards as well. Yea, that’s right: Metaphysical. Health reasons might be why most people start running, but it's the less tangible benefits that motivate us to endure, to become "runners."

While running can be a social activity, it is, more often that not, an opportunity to spend more time by yourself with your thoughts, to be able to develop a higher self-awareness. When you are tuned in to the nuances and condition of your respective body, you also discover things about your inner self.

Many runners say they are at their most creative and lucid, even meditative, during their runs, when the worries of the day are behind them. Confidence increases as you push your own limits, meeting goals and often surprising yourself by surpassing your own expectations. Running is a sport of discipline, sacrifice, and self-reliance. Chances are you’ll surprise yourself in your capacity for all three. The personal rewards could be quite powerful.